Art Out-of-Doors 



suit it in color. Here once more we want 

 no sharp contrasts ; the tree itseh'' is in sharp 

 contrast with the general effect of the scene ; 

 the planter's care should be to mitigate 

 rather than reinforce its emphasis. 



Once, in New England, I saw in a fine 

 old country - place an avenue of purple 

 beeches. They were the pride of the place, 

 but the pride was a false one. How could 

 a long double line of purple trees fail to 

 disturb the restfulness and harmony which 

 should characterize every landscape-picture ? 

 Anything that is eccentric, in form or in 

 color, should, I say again, be very sparingly 

 as well as very carefully used. One purple 

 beech may beautifully enliven a garden ; two 

 or three, no matter how set and surrounded, 

 are pretty sure to hurt even a landscape 

 of considerable extent. And as it is with 

 this purple tree, so it is of course with the 

 thousand and one purple and yellow and 

 striped and spotted trees and shrubs of which 

 v/e are so foolishly fond. A very few of 

 them may increase general beauty of effect, 

 but even this is by no means certain ; many 

 of them are sure to be harmful ; and their 



